Man sentenced to 45 years for his part in home invasion, robbery

A man who pleaded guilty to robbery and other crimes for his role in a home invasion last year was sentenced Tuesday to 45 years in prison.

Mark F. Johnson, 30, told police he was homeless after he was arrested and charged with taking part in an October 13 home invasion.

According to court documents nine felony charges and one misdemeanor all were related to a home invasion and robbery in the 2600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. Johnson and an accomplice are said to have tied up three people and to have robbed them at gunpoint of more than $700.

Johnson told the court that he didn't know the people he robbed and was extremely intoxicated at the time of the events. Johnson said he never would have participated had he known someone would be hurt. He said he had no idea the man with him was going to behave in the manner he did. According to court documents, Johnson and another man stole a laptop, a TV, some money and a vehicle.

In weighing a sentence for Johnson, Allen Superior Judge Francis Gull cited only one mitigating factor -- a show of remorse. Counting against Johnson were several aggravating factors: an extensive criminal record, including reckless homicide; the nature of the crimes he admitted last year, and the extraordinary impact on the victim.

According to court documents, police spotted the stolen vehicle following an SUV. Police followed the car to Grayson Street where Johnson got out and tried to run away. Instead, he was arrested.

The 10 charges against Johnson were reduced through the plea deal to the first four counts: burglary resulting in bodily injury, a Class A felony; and three counts of robbery – defendant armed or bodily injury results to one other than the defendant, a Class B felony. He was credited with 192 days' time served since his arrest in 2012.